Hot Chocolate Surprises
by Tori Stone
Summary: Everyone loves a good mug of hot chocolate on a chilly November evening, ESPECIALLY this halfa. But what happens when there's a bit...more delivered with his hot chocolate? Lots of fluff. DxS!
1. Homecomings and Hot Chocolate

**Well howdy!**

**I was watching this show on TLC the other day called...erm...I forget. Heh. But it's about soldiers coming home from war and suprising loved ones. It's super cute, I love that show!**

**H'anyways.**

**This idea popped into my head. So fluffy. Couldn't help but write it.**

**For reference, Danny, Tucker, and Jazz are all living together. Danny, Tucker, and Sam are all twenty-six (26) years old, while Jazz is twenty-eight (28).**

**I'd like to dedicate this to anyone who has loved ones overseas, or has had loved ones overseas. I apologize in advance for the vagueness of the army terms...I'm not exactly well-read when it comes to that stuff, but I admire every soldier's bravery very much.**

**If you recognize anything, it's more than likely not mine. Hehe.**

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><p><strong>Hot Chocolate Suprises (Chapter One)<strong>

**July 24, 2011**

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><p>"God, I'm getting so sick of people TALKING TO ME!" Tucker shouted indignantly, chucking his PDA across the living room of the house he shared with Danny and Jazz. He immediately launched himself off the couch he had been louging on to retreive it as Danny laughed from the cushions beside the place Tucker had been sitting.<p>

"Tuck, I think your brain has finally broken," Danny chuckled. Tucker scowled at him as he dropped back onto the couch, cradling the PDA like a new-born. "Who's even talking to you, anyways?"

"Oh, you know. People."

"No one's talking to you."

"Not true. Valerie's talking to me."

"That's a first."

"Shut up, Fenton,"

Danny rolled his eyes and grinned. About half an hour before, Tucker had downed an entire can of Red Bull in less than a minute, and was now jittery and hyper. He continuously fidgeted on the couch, shifting his weight and crossing his legs repeatedly.

"DUDE! You're giving me motion sickness!" Danny shouted, leaning away from Tucker to the far end of the couch. "Will you quit moving?"

"I'm just waiting for Sam's email!" Tucker shouted back. "I'm nervous, she's late today..."

Danny straightened up. Sam had been gone for nearly two years now; their now-twenty-six-year-old best friend had enlisted in the army directly after high school, deciding she wanted to pursue her love of helping people even further. It had been shocking, hearing the news; Danny had gone completely bezerk on Sam. He hated the thought of her being somewhere in the open where people were actually shooting at her, attempting to kill her; he had made sure she understood that perfectly. Nevermind that the ghosts that stalked him had taken their fair share of shots at her, that was different. After all, Danny wouldn't be there in Iraq to protect her the way he could when she was safely beside him in Amity Park. Sam had been deployed to Iraq exactly one year and 11 months ago, and was returning home in exactly three week's time. Danny felt his heart flutter excitedly at the thought. He missed Sam more than anything in the world, and had let her know repeatedly.

Their relationship had changed drastically since she left; they openly admitted that they missed each other dearly, all via email, of course. Sam would often tell Danny that she couldn't wait to hug him, while Danny admitted that he couldn't wait to take her flying when she returned. Sam had been his favorite flying partner; for some reason, her company was so much better than Tucker's when Danny soared over their sleepy town.

She had made it a point to send both Danny and Tucker an email immediately after waking up in the morning, which was right around the time Jazz and the boys were going to sleep.

"Ah! Got it!" Tucker shouted triumphantly. "_'Dear Tuck,_

"_'Today already looks like it's going to be insanely busy. Citizens are going nuts, I've got an armored truck I have to be a guard on, and I still haven't started packing. UGH. God, I miss you and Danny. Jazz too. Heck, I'm even starting to miss the Box Ghost. ...I know, right? I've been so lonely the last few months; Trish, my best friend here, was killed in combat, as you know. I still can't get over it. Gah. Anyways, enough about me. How have you been? I know you send me pictures every five minutes of everything, but that doesn't tell me how you are. So? Answer my question, danggit.'_ She is pushy," Tucker rolled his eyes, and continued reading. "_'I miss you Tuck! T-minus 20 days and counting! Lots of love, Sam.'_"

"She's lonely?" Danny asked quietly, pulling the PDA out of Tucker's hands to read it himself. The words seemed to be stabbing him in the very eyeballs; _'I've been so lonely...'_

"I have an idea!" Tucker said suddenly, yanking his PDA out of Danny's grasp. He exited out of his email, pulling up the video camera application on his phone and flipping it over so that the camera was facing him. He pressed the record button. "Hi Sam!" He wiggled his fingers at the camera. "You said you were lonely so here I am, being the amazing person that I obviously am, sending you a video of myself to make you feel less lonely! I mean, I totally understand why you're lonely, since you haven't seen this -" He gestured to his face, "- _awesomeness_ in person in two years, but you know what, that's all about to end."

"I'm here too!" Danny said, elbowing his way into the shot and smiling at the small camera. "Hey, Sam!"

"Get out of the way, she wants to see me, _duh,_" Tucker shot a blinding grin at the camera.

"In case you were wondering, yes, he did just have a Red Bull," Danny said, rolling his eyes at the camera and smiling.

"Moving on, I miss you _too_ Sammy-kins!" Tucker said loudly, before widening his eyes. A look of pure terror washed over his face. "Oh my God, PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!" He shoved the camera into Danny's hands and took off running, sprinting like a mad man into the kitchen. Danny redirected the camera to follow Tucker's progress; while the shot lingered on the now-empty doorframe to the kitchen, a distinct crash resounded in the kitchen, followed quickly by Jazz's screech of "TUCKER!"

"I'm dead! I'm dead! I'm dead!" Tucker shouted, sprinting out of the kitchen and around the back of the couch. He disappeared into the family room as Jazz emerged from the kitchen, covered in what appeared to be ectoplasm. The green goo was dripping from her limbs as she rounded the back of the couch. She paused when she saw that Danny was holding a camera.

"Are you taking a video?" She demanded.

"It's for Sam!"

"Oh. In that case," She leaned in close to the camera and whispered: "Sam, _please_ come home soon. I'm going insane. Help me control these morons!" She straightened, smiled, and screamed "TUCKER! YOU'RE SO DEAD!"

Danny turned the camera back to himself as Jazz took off toward his best friend's muffled cries of terror. "So things are pretty normal around here," Danny said, chuckling at this own joke. "As you can see, Jazz is still trying to psychoanalyze us every five seconds, Tucker's still drowning himself in meat and Red Bull, and I..." Danny paused, glancing at the camera, before dropping his gaze to his lap. "I miss you. Holy crap, Sam, I miss you _so_ much. I know I say that every time I email you, but...man. I mean, now more than ever," Danny gazed up at the camera, completely unaware that Tucker had crept back into the room and was currently behind the couch, his red beret-clad head poking up in the camera shot just beside Danny's, his eyes darting back and forth between the side of Danny's head and the camera.

"So now, you tell her you love her and you blow her a kiss!" Tucker said suddenly, laughing when Danny jumped and dropped the camera.

"God, are you trying to give me a _heart attack?_" Danny shouted, bending to retrieve the PDA.

"Nah, not before you lovebirds are reunited!"

"WE'RE NOT LOVEBIRDS!"

"Twenty bucks says that as soon as Sam hears me say that, she says the exact same thing at the exact same time." Tucker seized the camera and held it in front of his face. "So, Sam, email back. I need to know. I need twenty bucks. Reply ASAP. 'Kay, thanks, love you snookems, BYE!" Tucker stopped the recording and burst into a fit of hyper laughing. "Oh man, she's gonna_ kill_ me when she sees me!"

"I'm not far from killing you now," Danny commented as Tucker vaulted over the back of the couch. He dropped into the seat beside Danny and began fiddling with his PDA, sending the video to Sam.

"Whatevs," Tucker said, not taking his eyes off of the screen. "Sent!"

The two boys sat there for a while, arguing about what television show to watch (well, I say arguing. It was actually more like Danny politely asking Tucker if they could watch The Office while Tucker loudly insisted on watching Girls Gone Wild, enforcing his choice in shows by sitting on the remote), before Tucker's PDA lit up and beeped, signaling that he had recieved a new email.

"It's Sam! Man, that was fast," Tucker said, pulling the email up. His eyes darted across the screen; he was silent for a split-second before bursting into laughter again.

Danny grabbed the PDA while Tucker was distracted. There were only six small words written across the screen:

_Danny, you owe Tucker twenty bucks..._

"Damn it," Danny growled, fishing a $20 bill out of his wallet.

"I can't believe we literally haven't seen Sam in_ two years,_" Tucker said suddenly, grabbing the bill and shoving into his own wallet. Danny stared at him; he knew it was Tucker's habit of coming off of an extreme hyper high by suddenly thrusting the conversation onto a serious topic, but this...this was annoying. Danny had been thinking that every five minutes since the moment the plane took off.

"I know. It's weird, no phone calls, no videos, not even a picture," Danny sighed. Sam was in a very secretive portion of the army; they weren't even sure what she specifically did while she was there, just very general jobs such as "guarding a truck" or "patrolling an important part of the city." She was not allowed to speak on the phone with anyone, except once around Christmas when she was allowed to call her parents, but even that was brief. It was a little more than maddening, not knowing how much danger she was in. "Just emails,"

"Yeah, well. It'll be nice to see her again,"

"Definitely."

They were silent for a while, each lost in their own train of thought. Danny, of course, was considering just how much his love for the girl had deepened in her absence; the term, "absence makes the heart grow fonder" could not have fit him more appropriately.

Tucker, however, was grinning slyly, watching his best friend out of the corner of his eye. His bout of "hyperness" had been legitimate for the first ten minutes, but it had quickly turned into a distraction for Danny. You see, Tucker was planning something: something extremely important for the halfa beside him on the couch. And it was absolutely essential that the boy with jet-black hair and piercing blue eyes had no idea what was going on.

He had gotten Jazz in on it as well, telling her about his plan two nights before. She had squealed with excitement, literally jumped up and down and clapped her hands. "Oh, he'll love you for this, Tucker!" She'd said of Danny. She had agreed to be drenched in ectoplasm, all part of the distraction for her little brother. Speaking of which, it was about time for her roll in the suprise to start...

"Danny! Will you come here? I can't get this ectoplasm out of my hair!" Jazz's voice rang rather convincingly from the other side of the house.

"Aw, Jazz! Do I have to?" Danny whined; the couch was so warm, so comfortable...

"I'll make hot chocolate!"

Danny sighed and stood, following her voice out of the room.

Tucker sprang to his feet immediately and raced to the door. He flung the door open, stepping out onto the porch as quietly as possible. He could hear Danny and Jazz's voice drifting from the bathroom - he only had a matter of minutes, seconds, before Danny would return, but Tucker seemed to be unable to find whatever it was he was seraching for in the dark chill of that November night...

"There you are!" Tucker whispered happily as a pale figure emerged from the bushes. The girl was covered from head to toe in camouflaged clothing, save the sand-colored boots on her feet and the black hat atop her head. Her raven hair was caught in a messy bun where her head and neck converged; her violet eyes were glittering with excitement as she bounded up the stairs and hugged Tucker tightly.

"You're sure he has no idea I'm here?" Sam asked as she leaned away from Tucker.

"He's completely clueless, as usual. This is the second secret I've been able to keep from him!" Tucker said happily as he ushered his best friend inside.

"What's the first?" Sam asked quietly as Tucker closed the door behind them.

"That you're totally in love with him," He shrugged, sliding onto the couch and grinning up at her. "Now, get to the kitchen! He'll be back in here any minute!"

Sam did as she was told, but not without scowling at Tucker's comment. She retreated into the kitchen, pulling her hat off of her head and twisting it nervously in her hands. She heard the sounds of people coming down the hallway, and had to stop herself from running back into the living room when she heard Danny's voice.

"Jazz, you're such a baby," he was teasing. "You've got the most tender, sensitive head I've ever seen in my life,"

"Whatever," Jazz muttered. Sam heard light footsteps coming toward her; she backed further out of the view of the living room, grinning widely when Jazz walked in. It was the second time she'd seen Danny's older sister; the first being, of course, when she had gotten off her plane at the airport two days earlier. That had been the first time she'd seen Tucker as well. She smiled even harder as Jazz hugged her tightly, remembering the plan that had formed in her mind upon hearing that she would be released from Iraq early.

She'd emailed Tucker immediately, of course. She wanted to suprise Danny, since she had not stopped thinking about him since she had gotten to Iraq. Reading his emails nearly put her to tears every morning, but they gave her the strength to make it through her hellish days. Tucker had run with it immediately, coming up with an extremely elaborate plan involving faking a serious injury on the battlefield and 'postponing' her homecoming by another month with the reason that she was suffering from a life-threatening coma, but Sam had shot it down immediately. She knew Danny wouldn't appreciate being messed with like that, being the over-protective hero he was; that would probably have sent him rocketing across the Atlantic, Iraq-bound. So instead, they went with a simple plan that involved Danny's favorite drink: hot chocolate.

"You boys want hot chocolate?" Jazz called after she released Sam, winking playfully at her. Sam grinned in response, her face already hurting from the amount of smiling she had been doing.

"Yeah! Need any help?" Danny's voice rang.

"Uh, no! I got it, thanks!" Jazz said quickly. The four mugs were already made. Jazz grabbed all four, two in each hand, and walked back into the living room. Sam heard the clinking noise of four mugs hitting the wooden coffee table before the couch, before a small 'oof!' as the girl fell into an armchair beside the couch.

"Jazz?" Danny said slowly.

"Huh?"

"Why did you make four mugs?"

"Oh, I made four? Gosh, silly me. I was thinking about how exciting it's going to be to have Sam back...I guess I made her a mug!"

Danny laughed.

"Well, I'd hate for this to go to waste..." Jazz said thoughtfully as Danny's laughter died down.

Sam took a deep breath, bit her lip, and called, "I'll take it! I'm freezing,"

She emerged from the kitchen, her amethyst eyes resting on Danny's shocked face. Suddenly, their surroundings disappeared, melted away until it was just Danny and Sam. Danny stood slowly, his eyes never leaving Sam's. She was so different, and yet, she was the same. Her hair was swept back into a bun, her bangs falling lightly across her forehead. Her face was just as pale, although freckles had taken residence across her cheekbones. She was nibbling on her lower lip, a smile turning the corners of her mouth upward. She looked heavenly, like an camouflaged angel standing in his living room.

Her hat slipped from her grasp and sank to the floor as the gazed at Danny. The intensity with which he stared at her made her blush.

He practically crawled over the table in his haste to reach her. He flung his arms around her, crushing her against his chest. He heard heaving sobs, realizing with a shock that they were his own. He tangled his hands in her hair, freeing the midnight-black locks from the bun and allowing them to settle, the tips stopping just below her shoulder blades. He rested his chin on top of her head and allowed the tears that had built in his eyes to drip into her hair while he revelled in the familiar scent of her shampoo.

"S-Sam?" He choked, desperately attempting to stop his sobbing. He heard a muffled sniffle against his chest.

"Hi, Danny," She whispered, snaking her arms around his waist and crushing herself closer. He marvled at how perfectly they fit together, ignoring the small voice in the back of his head that jibed at him for thinking such a cliche thought.

"But...how? How are you here?" He asked, pulling her away from his chest to stare into her eyes, which were swimming with tears. "You weren't supposed to be here for three more weeks!"

"I know," She murmured. "I got released early. I wanted to suprise you, so Tucker and Jazz helped me..."

Danny glanced over his shoulders, realizing that Tucker and Jazz had quietly snuck out of the room while Danny had been distracted. He'd have to thank them later. Right then, he was a little more than distracted by the girl smiling up at him in his arms.

"I love you so much, Sam. Please, don't ever leave me again," Danny whispered, cupping her cheek in his hand and catching a few stray tears as they fell down her face.

"I won't. I promise. I love you too, Dan," Sam smiled nervously up at him.

Of course, with her looking so beautiful, her wide, innocent eyes gazing up at him like a new-born deer, Danny couldn't resist capturing her lips with his in a gentle kiss. He felt her stiffen for an instant in shock, before she melted against him, her hands winding around his neck. They stood like that, embracing each other, before there was a quiet 'aw!' followed quickly by a 'sh!' from somewhere to Danny's right.

Danny broke the kiss, staring dreamily down at Sam, before whipping his head toward the source of the noise. Tucker and Jazz were crouched down in the doorway, watching Danny and Sam. "Take a picture, it'll last longer," It was childish, but he couldn't help it; he was giddy with excitement.

"Oh, trust me. I've got plenty of pictures." Tucker brandished the PDA in his hand with an evil grin.

Danny rolled his eyes and led Sam to the couch. He dropped heavily into the cushions, dragging her down on top of him. She giggled and kicked her boots off, snuggling into his chest and closing her eyes. Jazz and Tucker joined them, Tucker tossing a blanket over the couple. Jazz handed Danny his hot chocolate with a grin. Danny took it gratefully, taking a deep gulp and gazing down at Sam, who was already asleep against his chest, peaceful smile on her lips. The jetlag had been horrible to her sleeping pattern.

"Remind me to drink hot chocolate more often," Danny murmured to Jazz, wrapping his arms tighter around the sleeping girl. Jazz smiled at the protectiveness in her brother's eyes as he watched Sam sleep.

"Will do, little brother. Will do."

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><p><strong>Okay, I kind of love Tucker being hyper. I definitely came up with the idea of him being like that after watching my best friend act that way after drinking Red Bull. Guys, remind me to give her Red Bull more often...that was just hilarious!<strong>

**Nice and fluffy, just how I like my marshmellows (:**

**Thanks for reading! Review if you want, if not, that's cool.**

**It's not like I'll die without reviews (;**

**But they are nice :D**

**- Tori**


	2. Oh Sammy, You've Got Some Splainin To Do

**Uhm...hi.**

**So originally I planned on this being a oneshot.**

**But there was still more to the story rolling around in my brain.**

**So, here it is, chapter dos. This chapter is much more serious than the first. You've been warned.**

**Me no owny de Danny. Curse you, Butch.**

**(:**

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><p><strong>Hot Chocolate Suprises (Chapter Two)<strong>

**July 27, 2011**

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><p>The next morning, Danny woke with a start. He'd had the most wonderful dream: Sam had come home early, they had kissed, and then they fell asleep intertwined on the couch beneath a warm blanket.<p>

But...wait. He was laying on the couch. Under a blanket. With..._Sam?_

"Oh, my God!" He whispered. There she was, cuddled against his chest, a single dainty hand outstretched over his heart. Which, coincidentally, had just kicked into overtime. He couldn't help the large, goofy grin that split his face when she sighed and snuggled closer to him, her slender fingers balling into a fist in his shirt. She was really there. It wasn't a dream.

Danny continued to watch her sleep. Slowly, he began to realize that a huge weight had been lifted off his chest having her there. He lifted his hand and touched her tiny fist, smiling even more widely at the heat that radiated off of her skin. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb, loving the way she tilted her head up to fit perfectly in the crook of his neck. However, that smile melted into a small frown when he noticed a small strip of white skin over the back of her wrist; it appeared to be the top of a scar.

Slowly and carefully, so as not to wake her, Danny rolled the sleeve of her uniform down. The scar started right where the skin of the back of her hand and her wrist met, stretching all the way down the length of her forearm. Danny was only able to push the sleeve down to her elbow; the scar appeared to continue past there. It had been a deep wound, of that he was sure. It started thin at her wrist, slowly bulging outward in an arc, giving it the appearence of a very long, stretched-out snake's eye.

In the hundreds of emails that Sam had exchanged with Danny, Tucker, and Jazz, she never _once_ mentioned receiving an injury. Danny felt his frown deepen as he stared at her, trying to push the sudden thoughts of her sweet face twisting in agony when she had gotten the injury that caused the scar away._ What if there are others?_ He thought suddenly, breathing in sharply._ What if she's been seriously injured and just didn't tell us about it?_

A small part of his mind attempted to reason that the probability of that actually happening was slim to none. However, that small part of his mind was very, very wrong.

His sudden intake of breath was enough to jostle Sam awake. She yawned, rubbing her eyes tiredly, looking more like the sweet eight-year-old little girl Danny had befriended on the elementary school playground all those years ago than a battle-hardened soldier fresh from Iraq. She smiled up at him, her violet eyes radiating serenity.

"I could get used to waking up like this," She whispered, giggling. Danny forced half a smile, attempting to push his concern aside.

She may have been half-way across the world for two years, but Sam still knew her Danny like the back of her hand. "What? What's wrong?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me about this?" His voice was low as he took her hand in his and pulled it upward, so that the exposed, scarred flesh on her arm was thrown into the light of the early morning sun slipping through the window. Sam's eyes widened as she gazed at it, inwardly cursing at herself. _Of course, he just_ had_ to find it within twelve freakin' hours of us being reunited...stupid hero..._

"Uh," she said, pulling her arm out of his grasp and shaking her sleeve back down to cover the scar. "It wasn't a big deal, I didn't think it was a huge cause for concern, so I just kept it to myself..."

"Not a huge cause for concern?" He repeated incredulously, pushing himself up on the couch. Sam, who had still been sprawled across his chest, was forced upward as well, her face flushing at the sound of the sudden anger in his voice. "Sam, it looks like your arm was practically split open! I'd say that's a pretty big cause for concern," He leaned in closer. "Are there others like it?"

Sam hesitated. There were, but she really didn't feel like telling him about those at the moment...especially the one that started around her right shoulderblade and wrapped around her entire body, coming to a stop around the back of her left knee.

"N-No," She whispered.

"You're lying to me," Danny said, his voice dangerously low. Sam flushed again; _darn him and his ability to see through my lies!_ "Sam, just tell me what happened. Please."

She stared at him, her eyes wide, silently pleading with him._ No,_ the goth thought desperately, _please don't make me talk about it...please..._

But Danny did not relent. "As much as I love you and have missed you, you're not getting out of this one. Besides, the puppy dog pout is my thing,"

Sam rolled her eyes. "There you go, bitter sarcasm is your thing," Danny said, playfully nudging her arm with his elbow. "So go on. Tell me."

"I'd rather tell everyone at once, since they're going to see these scars eventually," Danny's brows knitted together, but he nodded.

"I'll get them up," He said, leaping to his feet and draping the blanket over Sam. She sighed and watched him go, not looking forward to the conversation she was about to have. She knew it would happen eventually, but...come on...on the third full day she was back in America? _Really?_

She stood and began to unbutton the thick camouflaged jacket, allowing it to fall to the floor. She was wearing a white camisole beneath it; one that left much of the flesh on her torso exposed. She unbuttoned the pants and allowed them to fall, revealing black shorts that stopped a little less than half-way down her thighs. Sighing again, she knelt and gathered the clothes in her arms, dropping them on the couch beside her. She fell back into the cushions, drawing the blanket she'd shared with Danny around herself, using it to sheild the scars from their prying eyes for as long as possible.

The three trudged into the room, Danny looking extremely concerned, Jazz looking extremely interested, and Tucker looking extremely...asleep. Danny reclaimed his position on the couch, not failing to notice that Sam's uniform was in a jumbled heap on the other end of the couch. Jazz perched on the edge of the armchair, eyes sparkling as she waited for Sam to begin. Tucker merely sank to the floor, crossing his legs and resting his head on his hand, elbow propped on one knee. They were all looking at Sam expectantly; she took a deep breath, glancing at Danny, and began.

"About six months ago, I was patrolling with Trish, and there was...an accident," She swallowed hard, refusing to meet the gaze of any of the three. She opted to stare at her knees. "We were...ah...I'm not supposed to talk about this,"

Danny's warm hand found her knee, squeezing gently. "It's okay," He whispered.

"Well, we were patrolling a building. It was an extremely important building," Sam paused, biting back the tears that had sprung in her eyes. Danny watched, tender concern grilling him with guilt for forcing Sam to talk about something that had obviously caused her a lot of pain. "The building had a bomb planted in it, but we didn't know,"

Jazz gasped, convering her mouth with her hands. Tucker appeared to be completely awake now, his eyes suddenly alert and focused on Sam's face. "The bomb blew the whole building to pieces, which is how I got all of these,"

She stood and allowed the blanket to pool on the floor at her feet. Danny went numb with shock. She was covered in scars. They flitted across her chest and dipped below her camisole, weaving beneath the thin straps on her shoulders and fading into nothingness. They danced down her arms and legs, some crossing over others, creating odd, lopsided cross formations. On the thin strip of flesh Danny could see on her midriff, one particularly thick, deep, nasty-looking scar smirked up at him. Sam turned slowly, revealing even more scars on her shoulders and the backs of each leg. As he inspected her, he realized that tiny scars pressed themselves up her neck and face; he had been so distracted by the fact that she was back that he had not even registered the changes to her skin.

"The building literally came down on top of us," Sam said quietly, settling back into the couch. "I actually wasn't that injured, I was on the far side of the building when it went down. But Trish was right there next to the thing," Her voice grew bitter as tears spilled down her cheeks. "I _had_ to find her. So I literally dug through the remains of the building, nearly killed myself, just to find her..." She shuddered, closing her eyes tightly. "She was crushed to death beneath the weight of the building. Not to mention...she was blown to bits by that bomb."

The others were silent, staring at her in shock. "And that's not even everything that happened," Sam said quietly, still not meeting their gazes. "Iraqis showed up right after. One of them shot me. I just played dead."

Danny felt his blood boil. He clenched his hands into fists and gritted his teeth. "One of them shot you?" He whispered, narrowing his eyes to slits as he seethed.

"Yes, Danny. I'm an American soldier, they were Iraqi soldiers...kind of part of the deal, that we shoot at each other, since we're enemies," Sam said, taking one of his fists in both of his hands. Her fingers stroked his tensed knuckles; soon his hand was limp in hers, gently squeezing whenever her fingers dipped between his.

"Why didn't you ever tell us any of this?" Jazz asked quietly. Tucker nodded in agreement, apparently unable to speak. He wore an deeply disturbed expression for someone who was usually so carefree.

"It's not exactly something you can just send in an email," She said dryly, still playing with Danny's hand. "But that's the real reason I didn't respond to you guys for those few days. I was bedridden in the infirmary,"

Danny felt a small wave of relief; at least her mysterious absence a few months before had finally been explained. He shuddered, remembering that hellish week and a half. He'd immediately gone to the worst possible solution, that Sam had been killed, and was in a frenzied panic, refusing to budge from the computer until her email came. She had the lame excuse that the internet had stopped working in her base, but Danny had bought it immediately, his extreme relief to be hearing from her again allowing him to look over the obvious ruse._ Although_, he thought, _my assumption wasn't far from the truth..._

"I recovered fine, but they wouldn't put me back out in action since I had gotten so hurt," She said, making a brave attempt at a smile. "That's actually why I was sent home early, since my job pretty much dwindled down to doing nothing,"

"So...you were sent home early...because you had such a serious injury?" Tucker asked slowly.

"Well...kind of,"

"Where were you shot?" Danny asked quietly, pulling his hand gently out of her grasp. He needed to know, the burning desire to see the wound overtaking him.

Wordlessly, she lifted the hem of the camisole upward, revealing the skin of her stomach and, in turn, even more pale scars. The angry scar that had taunted Danny earlier wound around her back, he realized in dismay; he was absorbed in said scar, following its' spiralling progress toward her spine, when his eyes came to rest on two circular dips on her ribcage. He felt his mouth fall open in shock. The bullet had whizzed right through her, torn through her tiny frame. Hot, angry tears burned his eyes, blurring his vision.

"I swear to God," Danny growled. "If I EVER find out who it was who did this to you..."

Sam stared at him, blinking in shock. "I'm...actually kind of glad this happened, really,"

Six eyes stared at her in confusion. "Uh...why is that?" Tucker asked.

"Because if it hadn't, I wouldn't be here with you guys right now. I'd still be fighting in Iraq."

Danny could feel himself pale at the thought. His hand found hers again, intertwining their fingers possessively. _Perhaps there is a silver lining_, he thought as the girl beside him gazed up at him lovingly.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," She added in a whisper, leaning into Danny's arm.

He dropped her hand and ghosted his fingers across the bullet wound. He watched her face carefully, pausing when his fingers made contact with the old scar; the pain of the injury echoed deep in the recesses of her eyes.

"Neither would I," He whispered back, kissing her forehead lightly. "I'll go make hot chocolate,"

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><p><strong>Hm...you know what I just realized?<strong>

**I HAVE A PLOT!**

**Briefly mentioned in the chapter before, Sam confessed she couldn't wait to hug Danny.**

**(check.)**

**Danny mentioned he couldn't wait to take Sam flying.**

**(uncheck.)**

**Oh, it's on, plot bunny.**

**Passive readers are the WORST KIND OF READER.**

**Be a good reader.**

**Review.**

**I won't bake you cookies, since cyber cookies probably don't taste as good.**

**Not that I can cook.**

**(:**

**- Tori**


	3. Flying Is Nice

**Oh hey.**

**This is the last chapter, and then I think I'm gonna take a break from fanfiction for a while. I really need to get back to work on my novel. Gah.**

**Anyways...**

**The idea for this chapter is entirely credited to sailormoonluver218. Thank you for the awesome idea! You're my hero! (:**

**Guys, I kind of love sailormoonluver. Just sayin'.**

**ANYWAYS.**

**I don't own Danny Phantom, but if I did...hmf.**

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><p><strong>Hot Chocolate Suprises (Chapter Three)<strong>

**July 27, 2011**

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><p>Sleep has a funny way of knocking people out. You know what I mean? Generally, people imagine falling into a soft, comfortable bed, snuggling their bodies into a warm blanket, letting their minds drift gently into dreamland as their eyelids flutter shut, bodies radiating warmth and comfort...<p>

But, actually, sleep can be very violent. It can overtake us, dominating our minds, simply _demanding_ our consciousness, while we are left, helpless, trying not to drown in the hazy stupor sleep tends to leave behind. It takes us at the most random times: in class, on the bus, at a friend's house, oftentimes leaving us in a rather..._compromising_ position. By that, of course, I mean leaving our bodies defenseless to the cruel tricks of friends, such as Sharpie Marker mustaches or graffiteed limbs.

For Sam, it came at about 7 o'clock on the evening she divulged her most horrifying secret in Danny, Tucker, and Jazz. While their morning radiated seriousness, that afternoon was anything but. They ventured to the park, joined by Valerie (after Tucker's endless string of pleading over the phone) and had a picnic. They chased each other, laughed, flirted (when I say they flirted, I of course mean Danny and Sam flirted, while Tucker attempted to flirt with Valerie, who appeared to be in a very deep conversation with Jazz that robbed her of her ability to hear Tucker), leaned back and watched the sky slowly change from blue to pink as the sun set, watched their breath appear as a mist in the chilling air. It was about this time that sleep rudely smacked Sam upside the head, leaving her struggling to keep her eyes open and head upright.

After the third time her head lolled onto Danny's shoulder, he took pity on the sleepy girl. "Do you want to go home?" He whispered, gently brushing his fingers across her cheek, which was flushed and tinged with red from the cold.

Unable to find her voice, she merely gazed up at him and nodded, a tired smile on her lips. He stood and scooped her up in his arms bridal style, glancing over his shoulder and saying, "I'm gonna take her home, she's about to pass out,"

They all voiced their agreement, wishing Sam a good night, and then the two were off. They soared over the buildings of Amity Park, Sam already lulled to sleep. Danny grinned down at the girl in his arms; it was just too perfect, he decided. She was there, she was - for the most part - unharmed, and she was his. Finally,_ finally_ his.

He phazed through the ceiling of the home he shared with Tucker and Jazz, landing lightly in the spare bedroom they had saved for Sam. He gently placed her on the bed, tucking a thick blanket around her slim body. She sighed, turned on her side, gathered a fistful of blanket, and drew it up closer to her face. Danny watched in amazement as she slept; Sam was so beautiful when she slumbered. She was so peaceful, so innocent; Danny could still detect the innocence and joy the gothic girl had saved for only him and Tucker in high school in her face.

Not wanting to risk waking her, he slipped quietly out of the room and set off toward the kitchen. Why, yes, he was going to make _more_ hot chocolate...how did you know?

Probably because that was the only beverage the boy would drink at this time of year. Nothing drowned out bitter cold better than a steaming mug of hot chocolate. _Nothing._

_..._except maybe holding Sam against his chest. Yeah, that worked too.

By the time the water was ready to be mixed with the light brown powder, Tucker and Jazz had returned. They appeared to be in an argument; Tucker was _pissed_ that Jazz had gotten in his way of winning Valerie's heart.

"Just, next time, when I'm trying to pull a move, will you stop talking over me?" He asked, dropping into the chair at the kitchen table.

"_Fine_, but it's not like you would have gotten anywhere even without me there," Jazz said, rolling her eyes and sliding into the chair opposite Tucker. "Seriously, some of those lines made me feel like I was gonna hurl."

Their conversation was interrupted by the high-pitched, keening whistling of the water boiling. They both looked at Danny, who stared back, utterly confused; he had put the water in the microwave. So...why was it whistling?

Wait...that's not whistling...that's...

"Sam!" Danny shouted, phazing directly through the wall and into her room. There she was, thrashing around on the bed, her hands outstretched, face twisted in terror and agony, producing the most horrible noise Danny had ever heard. He captured her wrists in his hands, drawing them down. Her scream cut off, her eyelids flew open, and she gasped. Tear-filled, terrified violet eyes found frantically concerned ice-blue.

Sam sat up in bed and flung her arms around Danny, sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder. He raised both hands and hugged her closer, not caring about the warm tears sinking through his shirt. The bedroom door banged open, the barrel of a Fenton Bazooka pointing at the couple. It was lowered immediately, revealing Jazz and Tucker, both of whom looked extremely confused.

"What happened?" Jazz asked, stepping into the room.

"Nightmare," Danny whispered. He felt Sam nod.

Something flickered in Jazz's face. "Um...Sam?" Sam, who had quieted, peeked around Danny's shoulder and neck to look at Jazz through bloodshot eyes. "Was the nightmare about...the war?" Sam grimaced and nodded. "And...was it really vivid?" Again, Sam nodded. "Did you think you were back in Iraq for a minute?"

"Yes," Sam whispered, closing her eyes. Danny could feel her eyelashes against his neck; he lifted his hand and cupped her cheek in his fingers, gently tracing her ear and playing with her earlobe with his index finger and thumb. He could feel her relaxing under his touch; her muscles were slowly loosening as she leaned into the warmth of his chest.

"It...it kind of sounds like...PTSD," Jazz whispered, settling on the bed beside the couple while Tucker stood in the doorway.

"What's PTSD?" Tucker asked.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder,"

The room was absolutely silent, except for Sam's sharp breath through her nose. Danny felt her tense again; he pulled her onto his lap, trying to provide just a small amount of comfort to her.

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?" Sam repeated, her voice dangerously close to tears. "I have a _disorder_?"

"It's totally normal! It happens to a lot of people after they experience something traumatizing. It's most common in soldiers who return from war..." Jazz's voice trailed.

"So, what, do I have to go to a crazy institution now? Take pills? Oh, no, wait. I get to roll play with other freaks to sort through my emotional problems. Right?" Hot tears fell down her face, which she wiped fiercely away.

"No! No, Sam, it's nothing like that!" Jazz said quickly.

"You're not a freak," Danny said quietly, planting a soft kiss on her temple. She closed her eyes briefly at the touch of his lips, but did not relax.

"Then, what? I'm not going to therapy, if that's what you're about to suggest -"

"Wait, wait. I just realized something," Danny said, tightening his grip around her waist. "You didn't have a nightmare last night, did you?"

Sam turned to look at him, tears still brimming in her eyes. "No," She said, rubbing at her eyes rather violently.

Danny caught her hands in his and brought them down to her lap. "You felt safe, didn't you?"

She nodded, wondering where he was going with this.

"And when I was flying you home, you fell asleep easily. The nightmare started after I put you in the bed," Sam nodded again, although of this she was not entirely sure. "So that's all the therapy you need!" Danny said, gently squeezing her hands. "I'll take you flying, you'll fall asleep, and then the nightmares are over!"

Jazz clapped her hands together. "Perfect!" She squealed. "Oh, this is so perfect!"

"But what about after we get back?" Sam asked quietly, watching Jazz. "The nightmare started after you left me..."

"I won't leave you," He whispered quietly, running his hands up and down her arm. "I _promise_."

Her eyelids fluttered shut as she nodded.

"We'll be back in half an hour, hour tops," Danny said to Tucker and Jazz. "You might want to put something a little warmer on," He said to Sam, who immediately stood and seized the camouflaged jacket of her uniform and wrapped it tightly around her torso. Danny transformed to Phantom and scooped her up gently, phazing through the wall of the room, pausing when they were outside the house. She shivered and leaned closer to him, closing her eyes against the cold. Danny kicked off and soared over the house, gazing at the city, which was bathed in a warm glow of light cast by the nearly set sun. Stars were just starting to wink and yawn at him from the sky above, turning Danny's lips upward in a content grin. Sam tightened her grip around Danny's neck, leaning her head heavily against his shoulder. Sleep was already invading her again, pulling on her eyelids and fogging her mind.

Danny set off at a rather slow speed, desperately trying to keep the freezing wind from nipping at Sam's face. He smiled when he saw her slip into a deep sleep, her chest rising and falling slowly as she breathed. He continued flying around with her in his arms, feeling completely at peace with the world. That feeling of weightlessness that had snuggled into his chest had returned, he realized with a delighted, breathless laugh; she was there, in his arms, completely and totally his. She trusted him with her everything, allowing her barriers to come down, being completely and totally vulnerable, in Danny's care. And he sure as _hell_ wasn't about to let go of that trust. Not for all the money in the world.

He touched down lightly outside of his home, holding Sam closer to his chest as he did. He could smell her sweet shampoo, which floated up and gently kissed his nose. He phazed through the front door, nodding to Tucker and Jazz, who were settled on the couch watching a movie, when he became visible again, and floated to his room. As gently as he could, without jostling Sam awake, he settled into the bed, wrapping his arms protectively around the girl as he did. She sighed and snuggled into him, her jacket slipping off of her shoulder as she rolled half-way onto his chest. He drew the blanket up around them, lightly kissing her forehead as sleep began to close in on him. Sleep touched his muscles, slowly relaxing them, kissed his eyelids shut, lulled his mind into a foggy, pleasurable haze. But Danny fought it for a few brief moments, long enough to bend his head toward Sam's and place a gentle kiss on her sleeping lips. For a moment, he swore she kissed him back; as he pulled away, a faint smile crossed her face. But, before he could whisper her name to see if she was actually awake, sleep got the better of him and dragged him under a warm, comfortable darkness.

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><p><strong>'Kay, I kind of loved writing the last three paragraphs. Hehe.<strong>

**Well, that's it for a while. Tanks for reading!**

**I'll be back, though. Just like the Terminator.**

**Keep a weather eye on the horizon.**

**YAY FOR PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN!**

**:D**

**- Tori**

**PS - If you guys have any DxS romance plot ideas that you'd like me to write, PM them to me. I'd be more than happy to take a stab at them in my free time, and I'd give YOU the credit for the plot idea in my commentary up at the top (:**


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